PETALING JAYA: Malaysia is considering a proposal to host Formula One (F1) races at Sepang every few years in collaboration with other countries, with the Cabinet expected to make a decision after reviewing an evaluation report due in November.
Youth and Sports Minister Dr Mohammed Taufiq Johari said preliminary discussions had been held between Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim and F1’s chief executive and management on the possibility of Malaysia returning to the racing calendar.
READ MORE: Malaysia’s F1 return generates nearly RM950m in economic impact
He said one option under consideration was to share hosting arrangements with other countries, allowing Malaysia to stage the prestigious race periodically rather than every year.
“There are indeed discussions in that direction, but we must recognise that hosting F1 is not cheap.
“It involves substantial costs and several important factors that need to be evaluated,” he told the Dewan Rakyat today.
Taufiq was responding to Bangi MP Syahredzan Johan, who asked whether Malaysia would return as an F1 host following the staging of the Formula One Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix at Sepang International Circuit from Oct 2 to 4.
He said the ministry had been appointed to a special committee tasked with evaluating the proposal, alongside representatives from other ministries and the Chief Secretary to the Government.
The committee will examine hosting expenses, infrastructure readiness, potential economic benefits and returns on investment before submitting its findings to the Cabinet.
“We are currently conducting the assessment, including our level of readiness. By November, we will prepare a report to be presented to the Cabinet.
“Ultimately, the Cabinet will decide whether F1 will return to Malaysia,” he said.
Taufiq said the government needed to establish whether the economic benefits recorded during the recent event could be sustained if Malaysia agreed to host the championship regularly.
He noted that ticket sales for the October event exceeded 100,000, compared with about 30,000 during Malaysia’s last F1 race in 2017.
The three-day event also recorded approximately 261,000 attendances, with preliminary estimates putting its economic impact at RM950 million.
However, he cautioned that the strong turnout alone did not justify an annual hosting commitment, given the significant financial obligations involved.
He said any future arrangement would require coordination across several ministries rather than placing the responsibility solely on the Youth and Sports Ministry and Sepang International Circuit.
Taufiq also stressed that a possible F1 return must not come at the expense of other sports development initiatives.
“We want to ensure that hosting F1 does not have any negative implications for the development of other sports in the country.
“Funding for athlete development and national sports programmes must continue,” he said.